Girardi, Collins better get used to familiar questions

WITHIN a half-hour, first Joe Girardi and then Terry Collins were asked about their most polarizing issues at press conferences Thursday before the Mets’ 4-1 win over the Yankees. And neither did a good job of restraining his annoyance.

Girardi has enjoyed answering Alex Rodriguez- related questions as much as a six-game losing streak. But he had to know more were coming. Rodriguez did not start Wednesday against a lefty ( Steven Matz) and did not start Thursday against Bartolo Colon, against whom he was 23-for-56 with eight homers.

Girardi pointed out those are “numbers from years and years ago” and became ornery in challenging whether reporters even knew when last the two faced each other in 2012, Rodriguez was 1-for-6 off Colon and you would have to go back to 2007 to find their previous matchups. He was right about all of that. Right that where the Yanks are, they should be playing someone else besides Rodriguez to try to win now or to see them for the future.

But understand Girardi pretty much never says anything negative about a player — he will find the glory in a hitter’s four-strikeout performance — so for him to cite the stats speaks to his annoyance about the matter. It also suggests he is the one making the lineups, something he confirmed by saying “no” when asked if upper management is dictating that Rodriguez not play.

As for Collins, his agitation was more manifest than Girardi’s over whether Yoenis Cespedes’ golfing Wednesday afternoon on a bad quad had any impact on him eventually winding up on the DL. Collins would not even let a reporter finish a question, saying: “Seriously, don’t go there. This has nothing to do with it.”

It probably doesn’t. But speaking later, Sandy Alderson would only put it in the words of team doctors, saying they did not think one had anything to do with the other. Alderson also stated calmly the golfing was “bad optics” and that Cespedes’ agents have been informed by the Mets about this.

Girardi and Collins are intense guys. But they also are the main spokesmen for their organizations. They have been around long enough to know these questions are coming — they are not being asked about Richard Bleier or Erik Goeddel. This is A-Rod and Cespedes, the two lightning rods of the New York teams (while Matt Harvey is away at least). Girardi has spent most of the last 20 years with the Yankees as either player, coach, broadcaster or manager. He still lacks the skills to defuse these issues with calm, clarity and truth. Collins actually seems to be growing more peeved about such matters, which will do nothing to bring serenity to his surroundings.

Psst, guys, the questions about A-Rod and Cespedes aren’t going to stop.